[OPEN] BABES IN TOYLAND

[speakveryclearly]

Date & Time: December 20th, 2013
Location: New York City!!!
Characters: HOLIDAY SHOPPERS. Please note that with mod approval, any character is allowed to have joined the mob in front of the transporter, regardless of whether they responded to the network post advertising this event.
Summary: In a bid to conserve energy, over a dozen transports do all of their Christmas shopping at once. I hope you brought money!
Warnings: None for now!

All the transports are dropped into New York at 6:00, simultaneously but scattered. Coding the drop points for this mission was hell.

It turns out that the weather is actually fairly mild on this date; there is snow neither in the air nor in the ground. That isn't to say there's nothing of visual interest: All the lights of the city are on at this hour.



The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was lit back on December 4th.



Shop until you drop, Transports.

Comments

[khajidont]

[Unlike Peter, Jaime is totally lost and looks the part. One might think that with a suit that lets him travel pretty much wherever he wants, he'd try it on for a jaunt to a big city here or there, but no, he sticks strictly to good old El Paso in his downtime. New York is completely new to him, but he can't say that he's enjoying it any less for how little familiarity he has with the place. Sure, he has no idea where he is or where he's going at any given moment, but being in a real city, with real paved roads and people not batting an eye at him in the hustle and bustle of the streets is heaven.

Still, a familiar face is a welcome sight, and he gives Peter a little wave when he sees him.

(He remembers what that Loki kid said about Peter, but he understands the purpose and the importance of secret identities. He's trying really hard to just somehow scrape that out of his mind.)]

You look pretty comfortable here.

[unmasking]

It's home. [There's no hesitating over that fact, because it's true: it's home. And that's something that Peter can't get over, no matter how many people he passes. He still wishes it was his home, but he's still grappling with how to approach all of that, but it's close enough.

He crosses the distance between them, because if he's right, most people here aren't familiar with New York. Some people seemed keen on it, and he understands that, but he wonders how they're all getting around without GPS. At least there are cross streets and easy numbers to follow.

New York's always been good for that.]

If you need help—I'm a trained and ready tour guide. [He gives a tiny bow.] At your service. Peter 'Comfortable in New York City' Parker. That's me.

[khajidont]

Man. It's so weird going back home.

[He's clearly speaking out of experience here - one of his private trips was back to his hometown, and though it had been nice, it had also been bizarre. It's too easy to look at where things are just that much different, unfamiliar names on the family stores and franchises that were off by just a couple detail.

It's nice, though. He can't dispute that.]

And, you know, I'd accept the help if not for the fact that I have no clue where I'm even trying to get to. I've just been winging it.

[unmasking]

Yeah, I'm trying to ignore my mental checklist on all the weird stuff. [And there are so many weird things, he's not able to avoid it.

He stretches and looks around. Time Square is out, but there are other areas that aren't bad. Central Park is probably safe, and Washington Square Park is definitely safe. He knows all of those are still there, at least, even if his walking hasn't carried him there yet.]

Pick between Central Park and Washington Square. Central is oddly safer, though. [Not that Peter's worried about keeping them safe, but some people have that as a preference here.]

[khajidont]

I gotta say, I'm not too worried about my personal safety right now. [He's not about to suit up in the middle of New York City in a different world - who knows how that would change things? - but anything seems manageable compared to Exsilium.

Besides, he bets Nathan would be really upset if he got taken out by a mugger or something after all the training he's been doing with him without the suit. He's got to keep his bases covered, after all.

(That would probably mess something up too, on account of the fact that time travel sucks so, so hard.)]

But then again, Central's the one I've actually heard more about, so... lead the way.

[unmasking]

It's easier to film movies there, too. [In that people can definitely get in an out as long as the city is down with the process. Then again, Peter knows a number of places right off that were filmed at Washington Square; oh, the life of being a New Yorker with lots of random useless knowledge about these things. Also, the nightly new segments reporting them help when people get fussed.

Peter starts walking north, assuming Jaime will follow him.]

But film-ability or not, it's a pretty nice place. I'd say we could hit the Met, but I bet it's closing, but that's just on the edge. [Peter motions to his right to indicate where "the edge" is from where they're walking.]

[khajidont]

[Jaime falls into step beside Peter, though his attention isn't one-hundred percent on his guide. Even after being here for a while hasn't made the novelty of being surrounded by all these buildings and sights he had only ever heard of wear off.]

I think I'll survive without seeing it today, [he says lightly. He does rather hope he gets to go home someday, and maybe then he'll be able to check out New York as a proper tourist, not a visitor from another world.] I hear that a lot of the time they just film in... I forget the place, somewhere in Canada, and just pass it off as New York anyway. S'not like the rest of us will be able to tell the difference.

[unmasking]

Yeah, Toronto. We New Yorkers hate that place. [That's a big of an exaggeration. They don't care, but what's a little white lie? Plus, he's met a few people who were fussed about it, so that's enough to make it a general opinion. Said people's opinion didn't really count, but eh ...

He glances back toward him with a smile.] Either way, you're now gonna start noticing it and every movie you ever see will be ruined. It's great. [Even more exaggeration, but he kind of lives on those.]

[khajidont]

I don't think I'm gonna know the city well enough after one day to be able to tell the difference, [Jaime says, as if he's not one of those people who likes teasing out tiny details out of movies that nobody else actually cares about.

So he gets a little detail oriented and pedantic sometimes. So what?]

That actually reminds me - it might not be a bad idea to raid some of the book and movie files from this period to bring back with us. I dunno about you, but I've already read what I've got about a million times now.

[unmasking]

That's ... a good idea. [The lack of books back where he's staying is kind of a major downer. The fact that Peter Parker has had to hit pause on his learning is also a downer; he knows he has the opportunity to learn from a number of people, but that's different.

Though that gives him an idea. He'll have to follow up on that.]

What kind of stuff are you gonna grab? [He wonders how much of a geek Jaime also happens to be.]

[khajidont]

Whatever I can get my hands on? [He only looks like he's half joking, and that's because he is. He's gotten so used to having information right at his fingertips that even after this long, he can't get the hang of Exsilium and its lack of Internet or any entertainment whatsoever. He knows it's killing the Scarab just as much if not more, being cut off from all the information that would typically occupy much of its time when it's not practicing its sarcasm on him.]

I can think of a few things that friends would appreciate me picking up - I definitely gotta pick up some samurai movies for Maya. [He considers what he himself would want.] Other than that, eh, a bit of everything. I'd stay away from Star Trek or Star Wars if I were you, though.

[As utterly comforting it would be to sit down for a nice Star Trek marathon, he doesn't want to shatter anyone's sense of reality. That would just be mean.] Anything you'll be keeping an eye out for?

[unmasking]

Science books. See what kind of things I can get about the history of this world, look for the discrepancies and the like. [He shrugs.] But mostly science things. I'm a little mad that I'm behind on my learning here. I really liked school. [The sulking creeps into his voice. So he's not always been the best of students since he became Spider-Man, but he has been generally pretty good at everything—just inattentive and a completely different kind of spazzy.]

I might see if they've got the latest books in series that I was reading, too. They'd be out by now ... [Though he is wondering what it is about Star Wars that would make it universal, but Captain America isn't.

A question for the ages, really.]

[khajidont]

Yeah? [Jaime actually laughs at that, a low, throaty sound.] I wasn't really the biggest fan of school, but I actually miss it too. It was nice.

[He's by no means a bad student, but he's no genius and he knows it. He's a hard worker, and he's learned how to think in more elastic ways when it comes to making split decisions on the job, but he can't say he's on Brenda's level.

He just fades into the background. He's good at fading into the background, and he's totally okay with that. It's not really school he misses as much as normalcy, being able to see his friends day in and day out and having some sense of structure to an otherwise tumultuous life.

Reading instead of chopping wood also sounds really, really good right about now.]

But all that science and history stuff - that's a good idea. And it's a good way of checking out if any of the basics are actually different in this world compared to our worlds.

[unmasking]

Yeah, I mean, the scientific advancements are definitely way behind what they are at home. You'd think that certain things would be in check, so I need to trace it. Science history, science theory ... it's important. [He could comment on Jaime's ability at school, but he's used to that. Peter relied on school because at the time, he had little else; being good at school made him feel validated. In fact, it still does, even with the Spider-Man gig (though he doesn't do the Spider-Man gig to feel validated ... or didn't).]

I'm surprised they don't make these things available on our tablets, but most people don't care.

[khajidont]

I think it might be that most people don't understand. Not everyone's got the whole genius thing going for them. [He ducks his head a little, a curl of a smile at the corner of his mouth. Just because he's not a genius doesn't mean that he's not game to try, of course, and he's fully intending to pick up what he can.] That, and like half of us are seriously medieval. Literally. Someone was talking about trying to fix that before, get everyone on the same level with the whole literacy and basic science stuff.

[That was before sickness, before the kidnappings, before the bombs. Funny how things like establishing schools fall by the wayside.]

[unmasking]

Yeah, I saw a few people talking about killing the outliers. It was—not good. [And intense, in the way of "this is the language of Tolkien novels and everything in-between." Also his online gaming experiences, though he hasn't had a lot of time with those lately. (Even before dying. Hah.)

But he catches the genius remark and Jaime's smile and can't help but grin. He can be amused about it.]

Maybe I should try to get interested parties together. Who knows? It could be fun.

[khajidont]

Not good's one way of putting it, [Jaime says with a wince.] I was thinking more along the lines of 'completely psycho'.

[Yeah, yeah, cultural differences, respect where people are coming from, yadda yadda yadda. Jaime has learned a lot about that in Exsilium, but throwing the death penalty out there for turning a bunch of stuff off and being noisy assholes is where he draws the line.

Figuring out a way to get everyone on the same page, however, is a much more palatable subject, and he coasts along with the change of subject.]

Think you'd be interested in being a teacher, then?

[unmasking]

Well, there are a few directions guys like me tend to go. [That is, if they aren't superheroes and of that caliber.] Teaching is usually the one that's ... safest. The others are all about dreaming big, so why not get some practice? [Peter knows that Fury had designs on him eventually joining up with the Ultimates, but that was a life that won't ever happen.]

Besides, one time I told one of my teachers I could do better than him. It's high time I proved it. [Even if it was a terribly stupid thing to say.]

[khajidont]

[That quip makes Jaime let out a rather unflattering snort of laughter.] You told one of your teachers what? I officially take back the genius remark. You know you can just think those things, right?

[unmasking]

Admittedly ... it was kind of in the heat of the moment. [He does have the gall to look sheepish at that point.]

[khajidont]

What'd the guy do, anyway? 'Cause I'm guessing he did something to spark that.

[You don't just raise your hand and go oh, oh, teacher, you're a hack! out of nowhere, after all.]

[unmasking]

I was late to class.

[Technically, he didn't do anything ... it was kind of a stacking thing.]

Sometimes I'm a jerk? [That's added as an afterthought.]